Activate the Heart
by OnyxDay
Summary: Rose Tyler has been stuck in Pete's world for six months, for her. For the Doctor, it's only been a few moments. As a strange ginger bride is transported into his TARDIS, Rose Tyler is transported back to her universe. Inspired by a quote in the Runaway Bride.
1. Chapter 1

**Got this idea while watching the Runaway Bride on Christmas. The Doctor said there was a remnant of Huon energy in the heart of the TARDIS, the same heart that Rose looked into. So what I'm proposing is that when the particles activated in Donna, they also activated the ones in Rose. But instead of bringing her to the TARDIS, they just brought her to her original dimension. Enjoy!**

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Rose Tyler was walking down the street in Pete's world. She still called it Pete's world, despite the fact that she had been living there for nearly six months. She knew that her world was out there, traveling the stars throughout time. She paused at a street corner and glanced around her. The entire street was empty, not surprising, seeing as how it was past curfew. She continued on after a minute then turned a corner into an alley way.

"All right, I know you're here. No point in hidin', so just come out already. And don't even think of runnin' off. Come on, out you go." Rose called into the alley. She had been chasing the Hoix for nearly two hours and had finally caught up with it here. She briefly wished for a not-blue bucket, but knew that it wasn't the bucket she wanted.

"Here Hoix-y. Come out, come out wherever you are. I've got a nice juicy steak waitin' for ya back in the Hub." Rose was slowly moving deeper into the alley. She pulled out the candybar she brought with her and unwrapped it, hoping the Hoix would smell the candy and come out. It did and Rose carefully made her way to the Hoix. He sniffed and moved closer.

"That's right, good Hoix-y. Keep coming, that's it." She kept moving forward slowly. The Hoix froze and growled then the alley was filled with golden light. Rose looked down and saw that the light was emanating from her. She suddenly felt like she was being pulled into a thousand tiny particles. She barely had time to scream before she completely blacked out.

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**I know, I'm a tease. That was just a sneak preview of what's to come. So stay tuned for the next chapter, brought to you by one review. Thanks and have a very Moffat Whomas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Awesome. I like the reviews and thank you. So here's the next chapter for you. This time it will be longer, trust me. If you don't believe me look at my other stories. Well here you go.**

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Rose awoke to find herself laying in a bed, a bed that wasn't hers. She immediately shot up and looked around her. After letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting she realized she was in her bed at Torchwood. She didn't know how she had gotten there, the last thing she remembered was finding the Hoix in an alley. She groaned and rubbed her neck. For some reason everything felt oddly stiff. She pushed it out of her mind and made her way up the ladder to the manhole that served as an entrance. Pushing it open she climbed out of her chambers.

"Ianto, fix me some coffee will ya? Tosh, what have you got on the Rift readings?" Rose called out to her team. When no one answered she looked up and saw her team staring at her. Her eyes moved instantly to Gwen, flinching as they usually did. Seeing Gwen brought up memories of another Welsh girl growing up on the Rift.

"Gwen, what's wrong? Do I have really bad bed-head?" Her hands instantly went to her hair. It felt fine, but she ran her fingers through it anyway. Her team continued to stare at her.

"Okay, something's wrong. Why are you all staring at me? Owen I could write off as being rude, but what's with the rest of ya?" She asked them. They continued to stare at her.

"I think they're just shocked that you know their names." An eerily familiar American accent told her from behind her shoulder. Rose turned to find the familiar icy blue eyes of Captain Jack Harkness trained on her. Rose went speechless and felt her throat close up. She knew her mouth was flapping like a fish, but she couldn't seem to control it. Suddenly the world started to tip sideways. But before she could hit the floor two strong, wool-clad arms wrapped around her waist.

"You know, we really need to stop meeting like this. Though, gotta say, coming in through the Rift is a step up from hanging from a barrage balloon." The familiar sound of Jack's voice drifted its way into her ears.

"Jack." She said though it came out more of a whisper. She was so shocked to see him she couldn't think straight. How could he be here? He wasn't born yet in this reality! Unless... No. She wouldn't let herself hope. But, how could he know about the barrage balloon?

"You know Rosie, we never did get to finish that dance." He said, smiling at her. She finally was able to stand on her own and pushed him away.

"You can't be here. I'm dreaming. I'm still in that room sound asleep. I just need to wake myself up." She started pinching her arms trying to wake herself up.

"I can't say that I've never been called a dream before, but it's an entirely different experience when coming from you." He laughed.

"See, that's exactly what dream-Jack would say. You're just a figment of my imagination. It's just like every other time. I think you're real and then you disappear just like he did. You can't be here!" She was screaming at him now, desperate to escape this dream. No, nightmare. Because if she let herself think that this was real when she woke up she would just be disappointed again. Because this had to be a dream, it was always a dream.

"Jack, what's she talking about? Like who did?" Gwen's Welsh accent cut through the air. Rose turned to her and sobbed.

"You know who! You always know who!" She screamed at her friend. She knew she shouldn't, but if this was a dream like she thought, it wouldn't matter. She sank down to the floor and sobbed.

"Rosie. Rosie look at me. I'm not a dream. I'm right here. Who disappeared, Rosie?" Jack asked her, crouching down so that he was at eye-level with her. She looked up with her tear-streaked face and looked him in the eyes.

"The Doctor." She whispered. Just saying his name made her sob even more. Jack's arms instantly made their way around her and he pulled her to him. Rose sobbed into his chest.

"What did that stupid Time Lord do now? Did he leave you some where? Rosie, you have to tell me what happened." He told her as she sobbed into his chest.

"He didn't **do** anything Jack! He didn't do **anything**! We were on that stupid bloody beach and he didn't do a bloody thing!" She yell-sobbed at his chest. His arms stroked her back. "I- I told him I l-loved him and he didn't say it back! He didn't say it back Jack! He didn't say it back!" She knew it was pointless to yell, but she did it anyway. Jack's body stiffened beneath her. His arms clenched and his hands balled into fists.

"That stupid alien! When I get my hands on him, I'll kill him!" Jack threatened. Rose shook her head into his chest. Jack's anger made her forget her own heartbreak. However much she hated the Doctor for leaving her, she knew it wasn't his fault. If Pete hadn't brought her back to his world, she'd be dead and that would positively kill the Doctor.

"It wasn't his fault Jack. The walls closed. I was stuck in that stupid parallel world and he couldn't do anything but say goodbye. I- I think- I **hope** he was going to say it, but he never got the chance. Don't be angry at him Jack, be angry at me. I was the one that let go of the handle. I was the one that had to be the hero and grab the lever. I was the one that let her hands slip." She was getting into self-loathing area, an area that was never good to be in.

"Hey, sweetheart. It wasn't your fault. Whatever happened wasn't your fault." Gwen's comforting accent came from beside her left ear. She turned her head and saw Gwen sitting next to her. She smiled at her friend and nodded. She wiped her eyes and laughed coldly.

"I probably look a right mess. Jack, can you let go of me so I can wash up?" She addressed her old friend. He released her and helped her up.

"So, not a dream anymore? Does this mean I get to be upgraded to human status?" He teased her. She laughed for his sake, but didn't feel it. She left the main Hub-area and made her way to the washrooms.

Looking at herself in the mirror she cringed. Her mascara was running down her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. She grabbed a towel and wet it in the sink. She brought it up to her face and dragged it down her cheeks, trying to rid her face of any marks. After she had cleaned her cheeks she cupped her hands under the faucet and splashed her face with water.

"There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. Maybe he fell through the Rift. No, that wouldn't explain why my team doesn't recognize me. Maybe **I** fell through the Rift. No, that's stupid. I wouldn't be able to survive the Rift. Void energy can't travel through the Rift, we've made that perfectly clear. Ugh! I can't think with this pain in my head!" Rose rested her elbows on the counter and put her head in her hands. She began to rub her temples. "Come on Rose, think. What might have caused this change? What happened last night? I chased the Hoix into the alley, I offered it the candy, then what?" She closed her eyes and concentrated. She went through the night step by step. 'Chase the Hoix. Go into the alley. Offer the candy bar. Then nothing. No, that's not right. There's something, but it's fuzzy. Think Rose. Come on concentrate. There! A golden light. It's coming from... Me! It's coming from me. Then pain. So much pain. Like being pulled into thousands of atoms.'

"Rose? Are you ready to come out now? Jack wanted to ask a few questions." Gwen's voice cut through her mind and brought her back to the present.

"Thanks Gwen. I'll be right out." She called through the door. Taking in a deep breath she opened the door and stepped out. She made her way to the conference room, thinking that that's where Jack would be. Opening the door she found that her hunch had been right. All of Torchwood Cardiff (also known as Torchwood Three) was gathered around the long table.

"Probably wondering how I got here, huh? I can honestly say that I have no idea. One moment I was chasing a Hoix, the next I was waking up in what looked like my sleeping quarters at Torchwood. Then Jacks here and none of you know who I am and then I'm crying and it's just a big Rose Tyler mess!" She threw up her hands in frustration and sat down in the closest chair.

"Can you tell me about the last time you saw the Doctor?" Jack asked. Rose looked at him and nodded.

"We were at Canary Wharf. The Doctor had just sent me to Pete's world trying to keep me safe with my family. Sound familiar? Well I couldn't leave him there to fight the Cybermen and Daleks alone, so I jumped back using a Dimension Cannon. I guess this is starting to be a pattern with us. He sends me back, I come up with a risky plan to get back to him. Anyways, we opened the Void and sucked all of the Cybermen and Daleks back into it. But we had been saturated in Void matter so we were at risk of being sucked in as well. So the Doctor put some mag-clamps on the wall for us to hang on to. We activated it and grabbed the clamps. But then my lever started to slip and it was powering off. So I let go of my clamp and grabbed the lever so I could put it back in place. But I didn't have a strong enough grip, and I started to slip. Before I got sucked into the Void the Pete from the parallel world came back and took me to his world. The walls closed and I didn't see the Doctor for nearly three months. He called to me in my sleep, telling me to go to Dårlig Ulv Stranden, Bad Wolf Bay. He appeared as a hologram and we got to say goodbye. He burned up a sun, just to say goodbye to me. We only had two minutes. I told him I loved him. He said, 'quite right too. And I suppose... if its one last chance to say it... Rose Tyler.'" Rose broke down in sobs after repeating the last words the Doctor had ever said to her. She had memorized them without even realizing it. Jack rushed to her side and held her. The rest of Torchwood stood back, uncomfortable with the raw emotion emanating from the girl.

"You're back. It's okay, you're back. The Doctor is here, in this Universe. You'll find him, I know it. No matter how long it takes, you'll find him again. You always do." Jack soothed her. A scream was abruptly ripped from Rose's lungs. Jack was thrown back by an invisible force and hit the wall. Rose was surrounded by a glowing gold light again. And just like the last time she felt like she was being pulled somewhere.

"Help me!" She managed to scream out before she blacked out.

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**There you go. Chapter two, just like I promised. And similar to last time, chapter three will be brought to you by two reviews. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Love the reviews. Thank you everyone who reviewed. And as I promised, here is chapter three. Review, thanks! **

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Rose awoke once again with a stiffness in her neck and joints. Blearily she blinked to clear her eyesight. Looking around she realized that she was in a net, or web. Yes, definitely a web. 'Where the bloody hell am I?'

"Oh, my god!" An unfamiliar voice drifted up to her ears. She looked down and saw a glowing bride with dull ginger hair, a dark-skinned groom, and a familiar mop of brown hair in a very familiar brown pin-stripped suit. Rose wished she could call down to him, but her mouth was webbed shut.

"Genius. Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then. Ha!" The mop of brown hair with the familiar accent suddenly jumped back. "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle. Oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine. Wham! go the endorphins. Oh, you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven. A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point. Shazam!" Suddenly the bride slapped him. Rose couldn't be certain, but she thought it was on par with a slap from her mother.

"What did I do this time?" He said in his squeaky voice.

"Are you enjoying this? Right, just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?" The bride was scared, that much Rose could tell.

"Yes." And he was lying.

"Doctor, if your lot got rid of Huon particles, why did they do that?" Rose wished she could comfort the bride, but she was stuck in this stupid web.

"Because they were deadly." The Doctor's voice deadpanned. Rose couldn't see his face, but she had seen the expression enough times to picture it in her mind. The bride sobbed again.

"I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I am not about to lose someone else." The Doctor's voice was deadly serious. Rose wasn't sure, but she thought he was talking about her.

_"Oh she is long since lost." _A strange disembodied voice echoed around the chamber._ "I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"_ Rose saw the groom sneak off, presumably back the way they came.

"Someone's been digging. Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?" The Doctor had moved to the edge of a large hole.

_"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!"_

"Really? Seriously? What for?" The Doctor looked up, right at the spot Rose was hanging. Either he didn't see her, or he didn't want to show recognition. Rose thought it was the first option.

"Dinosaurs." The bride suggested from beside the Doctor.

"What?" He turned to her.

"Dinosaurs?" She repeated, less sure of herself.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" The Doctor asked, confused. Rose could just picture the look on his face and it made her want to laugh.

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help." The bride explained.

"That's not helping." He shook his head, so slightly Rose barely caught it.

_"Such a sweet couple." _Came the voice again.

"Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?" He was looking up again and Rose desperately wished she could catch his attention.

_"High in the sky. Floating so high on Christm__as night." _The voice came again. 'Huh. Christmas. Maybe this is becoming some sort of pattern for him. Trouble at Christmas.'

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on, let's have a look at you!" The Doctor called up.

_"Who are you with such command?" _The voice hissed.

"I'm the Doctor." His voice had that tone that meant he was serious, the tone that said you had better listen to him.

_"Prepare your best medicines, doctor man, for you will be sick at hea__rt." _Suddenly there was a shimmering light and a giant spider-like alien appeared. (Or at least Rose thought it was an alien. It was usually an alien when it came to the Doctor.) Rose tuned out the rest of the conversation, only catching certain facts. She knew it was the Empress of the Racnoss, she knew that they were destroyed, and she knew that Lance had betrayed the bride (Donna, she later found out). Rose was putting all of her focus on finding a way to escape the webbing. She only really focused on what was happening below when the pilot fish raised their guns.

"Ah, now. Except." The Doctor started, holding up his hands.

"Take aim!" The Empress yelled

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious." He rushed to get out.

"They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots." The Empress bragged.

"Just, just, just, just, just hold on. Hold on just a tick. Just a tiny little, just a little tick." He was slightly desperate, but Rose could see the underlying calm. He had a plan, and Rose didn't know whether to be happy or scared about that. "If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So reverse it, and the spaceship comes to her." He turns the knob on the Huon container. Suddenly Rose's body begins to glow, as does Donna's. She can feel herself being pulled away from the web as the TARDIS begins to materialize around Donna and the Doctor.

"Fire!" The Empress yells, but it's too late. The TARDIS has solidified around the Doctor and Donna (and Rose, though they don't know that yet). The Doctor fiddles with the controls, not seeing an unconscious Rose laying on the floor between two coral arches.

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When Rose woke up she caught the briefest glimpse of the Doctor before he ran out the door. She clumsily rose to her feet and stumbled to the door. Before she could reach it she had to rest her weight on one of the coral beams to regain balance. When her hand rested on the beam she felt the TARDIS give a hum of approval.

"I missed you to old girl." Rose whispered to the TARDIS and stroked the beam she was leaning on. Finally she regained some semblance of balance and made her way to the doors. She opened them, only to come face to face with a pilot fish robot. She barely had time to let out a tiny scream before its hand covered her mouth and it hauled her away.

Moments later she found herself once again caught in the web, only this time she could actually speak.

"I hate you." The voice comes from her right and is in the now familiar accent of Donna.

"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart." Lance, who is to Donna's right, responds.

"Will both of ya just shut up?" Rose tells them. It's only when she speaks that either of them realize she's there. Before either of them is able to ask who she is, the Racnoss Empress speaks up.

"My golden couple, together at last, and the lost girl. Would you like to be released?" She hisses up at them.

"Yes!" They all scream.

"You're supposed to say, 'I do'." The Empress commands. Lance looks at Donna.

"I do." He says, like it's the most disgusting thing he can think of. Donna repeats it, but like it's hard to get out.

"I do too." Rose says. The Empress snickers.

"I don't. Activate the particles. Purge every last one! And release!" She calls. Donna, Lance, and Rose begin to glow golden. The light pours out of Donna and Lance into the hole, but it just hovers around Rose. Suddenly Rose remembers everything that happened on Satellite Five, as well as things that haven't happened yet.

"You thought you could take me from the Golden Child. You were wrong! I am the Bad Wolf, a Goddess of Time. I can see all of Time and Space. You are but a tiny speck in the path of Time. I could destroy you with the barest flick of my eye. But I will not. You have yet to choose your Fate, and the Fate of your children. I would take the offer the Lonely God gives you, but if you do not then your Fate is sealed." With that Rose's vision goes dark for a second. When she wakes up again she can still remember Satellite Five, as well as what just happened.

"Perish the web! My children will feast on Goddess flesh! But first we will give them the golden groom." The Empress roars. Beside Donna, Lance begins to struggle.

"Use her, not me! Use her!" He calls. He desperately does not want to die, that much is obvious. What is not obvious is which her he is referring to.

"Oh, my funny little Lance! But you are quite impolite to your lady friend. The Empress does not approve." With that she makes a slashing movement with her talons and Lance falls into the pit. Donna calls his name, despite the fact that he betrayed her.

The Empress starts calling out instructions, saying to harvest the humans. Rose can't stand any more of this.

"Oi! You, Spider-lady. Yeah, I'm talkin' to ya! Look at me!" The Empress finally turns to her.

"My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them." A robot walks up the steps. The Empress abandons looking at Rose and turns to the robot.

"So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor man." The Doctor removes his robot mask and robe.

"Oh well. Nice try. I've got you Don- Rose!" He finally sees her. Rose's face lights up with the biggest grin she's ever had.

"Doctor!" She calls down to him. His face is still shocked to see her, but he begins to grin.

"Now's not the time! Doctor, those things, they're coming up here!" Donna yells. The Doctor shakes his head and turns his attention to her.

"Donna, just hold on, I've got you. Rose, first time you saved me, under the London Eye. Remember what you did?" Rose smiled and nodded. "Well just remember that!" He raised the sonic and the web started to come undone around them.

"We're gonna fall!" Donna cries out.

"No, we're gonna swing!" Rose tells her. They start to swing and Donna screams. The Doctor holds out his arms to catch them, but Donna lands underneath the platform with a crash. Rose, seeing this, climbs higher on the web and manages to land in the Doctors arms.

"Hello." He tells her, reminiscent of when she was possessed by Cassandra. Which she can also remember now.

"Hello." She replies.

"Thanks for nothing." Donna calls from below them. They lean over the edge to find her laying flat on her back.

"Oh. Sorry." The Doctor apologizes.

"The doctor man amuses me." The Empress calls. The Doctor instantly pushes Rose behind him.

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to co-exist. Take that offer and end this now." He demands. 'The offer!' Rose realizes.

"These men are so funny." The Empress hisses to herself.

"What's your answer?" The Doctor demands. The Empress pretends to think for a minute.

"Oh I'm afraid I'll have to decline." She laughs. Rose can't see his face, but from his posture she can tell he has adopted his 'Oncoming Storm' face.

"What happens next is your own doing." He warns.

"I'll show you what happens next. At arms! Take aim! And-"

"Relax." The robots instantly powered off. Rose noticed that the Doctor's hand was in his pocket. She smiled slightly.

"What did you do?" Donna demanded.

"Guess what I've got, Donna?" He called to her. He pulls out a robot controller. "Pockets!" He pops his 'p', just like Rose remembered.

"How did that fit in there?" Donna called up.

"They're bigger on the inside." He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh." The Empress crowed.

"Oh, but I'm not from Mars." The Doctor said in a dead voice.

"Then where?" She asked him, hissing.

"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on. Gallifrey." He said, his voice brimming with the sadness he still felt and the anger he was feeling now. The Empress howled.

"They murdered the Racnoss!" She screamed.

"I warned you. You did this." He pulled out a handful of Christmas ornaments and threw them into the air. He pulled out two more handfuls and threw them into the air as well. Using the controller he directed them throughout the underground lair. The chamber caught on fire with exploding ornaments. The Empress screams with rage. Suddenly the walls give out and the chamber is flooded with water. It rushes into the hole and the Empress screams with despair. In front of Rose the Doctor just stands there. She rests her hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor. That's enough. You need to stop, or you'll become as bad as they are. Please." She begged him. He finally turned to her. His eyes were filled with the pain and loss of all of his nine-hundred plus years. His head was drenched, but she could see the tears in his eyes.

"We need to get Donna out of here." She reminded him. That instantly got him moving, clearing a way for Donna on the staircase.

"Come on Donna, it's time I got you out." He called to her. They made their way up the staircase with Donna to the outside. They came to rest on top of the Thames flood barrier.

"What about the Empress?" Donna asks.

"She's used up all her Huon energy. She's defenseless!" Almost as soon as he says that the Racnoss ship explodes.

"Um, Doctor? We've got a tiny problem." Rose tells him, looking down.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" He asks. She points down.

"We've drained the Thames!" She tells him, laughing. The Doctor joins in, and soon Donna is laughing with them. The Doctor ushers them back down a ladder into the underground facility. He directs them back to the TARDIS and Rose runs for it. She pulls out the TARDIS key she still wars around her neck and inserts it into the lock. It turns and opens. She quickly glances around and sees the Doctor grinning at her and Donna looking confused. She steps into the TARDIS and goes straight to the console. The Doctor follows her and Donna follows him.

"Who are you? How'd you get that key?" Donna demands, her hands resting on her hips. Rose turns and smiles at her.

"Name's Rose Tyler. I travelled with the Doctor. We got separated, but now I'm back. And I'm gonna give him that forever I promised him." She turns back to the Doctor and takes his hand. He grins at her and squeezes her hand before letting go and going back to piloting the TARDIS.

"How many people have you had on this thing?" Donna asks the Doctor. "First I find out about that friend of yours you lost, and now Rose? Where does it end?" She demands. Behind her the Doctor stiffened.

"Actually, based on the two people you know about, just one. I'm the friend he lost. And I'm never losing him again." She turned back to the Doctor and held his gaze.

"Well that's fine, but I'd prefer to be lost. Do ya mind takin' me home now? I'd like to make it back before Christmas dinner." Donna says, wrapping her arms around herself. The Doctor continues flicking switches and, when he's not looking, Rose flicks some too. Finally they land and everyone steps out.

"There we go. Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything." The Doctor said, affectionately patting the side of the TARDIS.

"More than I've done." Donna says, dejectedly. The Doctor gives her a quick sonic scan. Rose sighed, knowing he was missing the real meaning of her words.

"No, all the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine." He tells her. Rose shakes her head and goes to stand next to Donna.

"Yeah, but apart from that, I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of." Rose wrapped her arms around Donna and gave her a comforting hug.

"I couldn't save him." He told her, his voice showing the regret he felt.

"He deserved it." She told him.

"No, he didn't." Rose told her. She knew that she was trying to make Lance into the bad guy.

"Thanks. I'd better get inside. They'll be worried." She gestured toward the house behind her.

"Best Christmas present they could have." He tells her. "Oh, no. I forgot you hate Christmas." Rose stepped away from Donna and stood next to the Doctor. She knew it was about time for them to go.

"Yes, I do." Donna says, laughing slightly.

"Even if it snows?" He points the sonic screwdriver behind him and makes the Tardis lamp turn yellow and fire off a bolt of energy into the sky. It starts to snow. Rose laughs and twirls around.

"I can't believe you did that!" Rose says, laughing.

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation." He explains. Donna gives them a slight smile.

"Merry Christmas." She tells him, backing toward her house slightly.

"And you. So, what will you do with yourself now?" The Doctor asks, turning away from Rose for a second.

"Not getting married, for starters. And I'm not going to temp anymore. I don't know. Travel. See a bit more of planet Earth. Walk in the dust. Just go out there and do something." Donna says. Rose stops twirling and looks at her. She could be a great companion if she wanted.

"Well, you could always-" He stops himself.

"What?" Donna asks.

"Come with us." Rose answers for him.

"No. I can't." She tells them. The Doctor deflated slightly.

"Okay, that's fine." he says, trying to stay joyful.

"No, but really. Everything we did today. Do you live your life like that?" She asks them. Rose understands, she asked the same questions when the Doctor first asked her.

"Not all the time." He says, lying through his teeth.

"I think you do. And I couldn't." She tells him with a sad tone in her voice.

"But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful." He tells her, still trying to convince her.

"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying, and you were standing there like, I don't know, a stranger. And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death." Her voice quivered. The Doctor's face falls.

"Right." He starts to turn, but Rose stops him. She knows that Donna has more to say.

"Tell you what I will do, though. Christmas dinner. Oh, come on." She waves her arm. The Doctor shakes his head.

"I don't do that sort of thing." He tells her.

"You did it last year. You said so. And you might as well, because Mum always cooks enough for twenty." Donna tells him. Rose knows that she was talking about the dinner he had at her mum's place and that made her smile.

"Oh, all right then. But you go first. Better warn them. And don't say I'm a Martian. I just have to park her properly. She might drift off to the Middle Ages. And Rose might want to change. We'll see you in a minute." The Doctor goes into the TARDIS, followed by Rose, and starts up the engine. Rose doesn't say anything, just watches as he puts her in motion.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Donna's voice comes from outside the TARDIS. The Doctor sets it back down in the same spot and pokes his head out.

"Blimey, you can shout." He tells her. Rose comes to stand beside her and pokes her head out beside his.

"Am I ever going to see you two again?" She asks. The Doctor grins.

"If we're lucky." Rose tells her.

"Just promise me one thing. Stay with each other." Donna tells them. Rose takes the Doctor's hand.

"He's not gettin' rid of me anytime soon." Rose tells her with a grin.

"You stay with him. Because sometimes, he needs someone to hold him back." Donna reminds her.

"I know Donna. I know better than most." She tells the feisty ginger almost-bride.

"Yeah. Thanks then, Donna. Good luck. And just be magnificent." The Doctor tells her before closing the TARDIS door and going back to the console. He sets them off, giving Donna a little bit of a show. Once they were in orbit he stopped the TARDIS and let her drift. He turned to Rose and strode forward. He wrapped his arms around her and swung her around, just like he did after Krop Tor.

"Rose. Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose. Rose." He whispered her name in awe. Like he still couldn't believe she was here. He set her down and held he face in his hands.

"How- What- When- Oh, Rose!" He hugged her again, but this time he kept her on the ground.

"Doctor. Doctor! I need to breathe at some point!" She told him, laughing at the familiarity. He quickly let her go, but stayed exactly where he was.

"How did you get here?" He asked softly.

"I don't know. One minute I was chasing a Hoix down an alleyway in Pete's World, the next I'm in Torchwood Cardiff." She says, forgetting that he doesn't know about her brief trip to Cardiff. His entire body stiffens.

"You were where?" He asks in a voice brimming with suppressed anger.

"Doctor, it's okay! It's exactly like the Torchwood in Pete's world that I was in charge of. Same team, same layout, same everything. Except Jack is in charge of it instead of me. Remember Jack? Our friend, Jack?" The Doctor visibly calms down knowing jack is in charge, but he's far from his normal self.

"Doctor, it's okay. I was only there for a few minutes. After Cardiff I was transported to the web, then the TARDIS when you brought it to Donna. You didn't see me because I was passed out between two beams. It's okay Doctor, really I'm fine." The Doctor still had that guilty look in his eyes. "Doctor, really. I don't blame you. If I did I would have stayed behind with Donna. Doctor, you've got to stop blaming yourself for everything. Just relax for now. I'm back, just be happy for that. For me." She looks up at him and finds him smiling at her.

"Rose Tyler, you always know exactly what to say to cheer me up! You're brilliant you are!" He kisses her forehead. She laughs then pulls away.

"Doctor, one thing before we go off on amazing adventures. Last time I saw you, on Bad Wolf Bay, the worst day of my life. You were about to say something. I need to know what you were about to say." Her face has gone deadly serious. His eyes grow sad remembering the event that, for him, was barely 24 hours ago, but for her was almost three months ago. He gave her a faint smile.

"Rose Tyler, I love you." Then his hands found her cheeks again and he was pulling her toward him. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, one full of longing and pent-up sexual feelings. Rose was forced to break the kiss because she was running out of air.

"Doctor." She whispered. But before she could finish her thought there was a loud beeping from the monitor. The Doctor's head instantly shot up and he went over to the monitor, leaving Rose both confused and slightly dizzy.

"What?" He called out. His brow was furrowed and he was wearing his 'brainy-specs', having put them on while Rose wasn't looking.

"What is it Doctor?" She asked, standing beside him. He turned to face her.

"The TARDIS has detected plasma coils surrounding Royal Hope Hospital. That's- that's alien technology!" He says, still examining the monitor.

"Guess we're back in the game then." Rose comments. The Doctor turns to her and smiles.

"How do you feel about checking into the hospital, Miss Tyler?" He asks with his trademark grin on his face. She grins back at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"I have felt a little ill as of late." She says, playing along.

"Well we should have that checked out." He continues, flipping switches. They grin as the TARDIS lurches into the Vortex. Rose is most definitely back on the TARDIS.

"Whatever you say, Shake." She says, playing on the nickname he claimed the last time she was in this universe. He grinned at her.

"Was that sass Shiver?" He asked, playfully. She just laughed as the TARDIS gave another lurch. She comes to stand beside him and kisses his cheek.

"It might have been." She says, nibbling on his earlobe. She felt him shudder, and it was definitely not from the cold. "I think I ought to change out of these soaked clothes, and you need to change out of that suit Mister. Why not try on that blue suit I got you?" She said, spinning away from him. He stood there for a second before the TARDIS lurched again, causing him to go back to the controls. She laughed and went off to the TARDIS wardrobe. 'It's good to be back.' She thought to herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind the Wolf nodded its agreement.

* * *

**Okay, that's it for this story. I think this is the shortest story I've ever written. Huh. By the By, if I get enough reviews I'll write a sequel to this story. Maybe even a rewrite of season three. Who knows? It all depends on you, the faithful reader. So, if you want me to continue this as a series ten people have to review citing that they want this as a series. If you want me to continue with another story and see from there, five people need to review, citing the need for a sequel before they make up their minds. It's up to you!**


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